When you see someone about to make a mistake but it’s not in your area of responsibility, what do you do?

Our reader poll today asks: When you see someone about to make a mistake but it’s not in your area of responsibility, what do you do?

• Offer unsolicited advice and tell them immediately about their upcoming error 33.90%
• Ask if you can provide guidance and not say anything if they say “no” 53.13%
• Stand by quietly and let them learn from their mistakes 12.97%

Is your assistance welcome? It’s easy to want to jump in and help someone when you think they’re about to make a mistake. Many of you (34%) report doing that without asking if you can offer a perspective before sharing your thoughts. Other than a safety issue or other case of possible harm, pause for a moment and see if the person is open to your assistance. Sometimes your help isn’t welcome. Sometimes you don’t have context on why they’re doing something a certain way. Sometimes it’s a matter of preference for how they’re going to do something. If it’s not in your area of responsibility, it’s worth a quick “I think something is about to go wrong. Would you mind if I offered some thoughts?” before sharing your perspective. The vast majority of the time, your input will be welcome. You’ll also be showing respect to that person and avoid possibly branding yourself as a know-it-all or someone who butts in. For those who don’t say anything and let people learn from mistakes, consider how you’d feel if someone let you walk into a mistake without trying to warn you. Do you really want to be on the end of the “why didn’t you tell me before I made the mistake?” conversation after things go sideways?

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

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These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 240,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.